Pernilla Lindberg debuted on the golf course as an infant. Her father, Jan, competed in top-flight Swedish amateur events and served as president of the local club. Her mom, Gunilla, played as well.

So when Pernilla arrived in July 1986, off to the course she went in a stroller. And off to the course she went throughout her childhood.

“If I wanted to see my family in summer,” Lindberg said, “the golf course was where I had to be. I loved it, even before I really played. I would eat ice cream or pick flowers or roll around in the grass.”

Jumping into water hazards was not in her repertoire — until last month in California.

That’s when Lindberg earned her first LPGA Tour victory, defeating Jennifer Song and world No. 1 Inbee Park in a playoff at the season’s first major championship, the ANA Inspiration.

The winner’s leap into Poppie’s Pond at Mission Hills Country Club’s 18th hole has been a staple since 1988, when Hall of Famer Amy Alcott spontaneously took the plunge. A nine-year Tour veteran, Lindberg was thrilled to continue the tradition.

“There have been times where there was some doubt there if I’m going to (win),” she said Wednesday on the eve of her sixth Kingsmill Championship. “But now I’ve obviously proved to myself that I can do it, but also I’ve shown everyone else that I can do it.

“Next time I’m in contention, or even next time I’m in a playoff, I’ve been there before and other girls now know I’ve been there before and how tough I am in that situation.”

Playing in her 193rd Tour event, Lindberg seized command with an opening-round 65 at the ANA. She retained the lead after the second and third rounds and grinded throughout Sunday against far more accomplished competitors such as Park, Jessica Korda and the Jutanugarn sisters.

Song exited the sudden-death playoff on the third hole, after which Lindberg and Park, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, managed one more hole — both made par — before darkness settled in.

“What I was telling myself at that point was I had done all the hard work during 72 holes to get myself into the playoff,” Lindberg said. “By the time Monday came around, it was just me and Inbee left. … At that point, I had nothing to lose … because Inbee Park, seven-time major champion, Hall of Fame player, world No. 1, I’m clearly the underdog. … If I lose, I’ve still had a great tournament. …

“I know she’s not going to just give it away. I’m going to have to step up and make something happen, which made me feel as if I had a clearer task in front of me.”

Of note: Alex has followed a strong 2017 season (21 of 25 cuts made and a career-best six top-10s) with four top-25...

A maiden victory changes everything for a professional golfer. When that win is a major, the changes multiply.

Fans, sponsors, media: Everyone wants a chunk of time. Engaging even in obscurity, Lindberg has welcomed them all.

“I’m still the same Pernilla,” she said as we chatted after her pro-am front nine.

“She always felt like she belonged here because she’s been out here nine years,” said Daniel Taylor, Lindberg’s longtime caddie and, since December 2016, fiancé. “But now she feels like she’s one of the few that have achieved something big. I think I can see it in her demeanor. She would never act outwardly cocky or confident, but I know she thinks more highly of herself, which should lead to better play as well.”

Seeds for Lindberg’s breakthrough were planted last November, when she tied for fourth at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in Florida, two shots behind winner Ariya Jutanugarn.

Lindberg had played poorly for much of the summer, but she contended throughout the Tour Championship, and her final-round 68 was among the day’s best.

“I just got into the CME Tour Championship,” Lindberg said, “one of the last players into the field. I can say absolutely, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did at ANA this year if it wasn’t for CME. It was the first time I was in contention on a Sunday and felt really comfortable. I didn’t let the nerves get the best of me. …

“I just felt so calm and so comfortable the entire week, and I learned so much from that experience that I took to being in contention at the ANA.”

Lindberg’s 15-under-par 273 aggregate at the ANA was the same as fellow Swede Annika Sorenstam’s winning score there in 2005. Sorenstam has influenced countless young players not only in her homeland but also globally, including Lindberg.

This marks the 10th anniversary of Sorenstam’s seven-shot victory at Kingsmill, the 72nd and final win of her Hall of Fame career. But Lindberg was too busy earning first-team All-America honors at Oklahoma State to notice.

Now, like Sorenstam, she’s a major champion. Now, like Sorenstam, she’s jumped into Poppie’s Pond.

And the really cool part is that her parents, visiting from Sweden, were in California to join her and Taylor, a former scholarship golfer at Southeastern Louisiana, in the wet celebration.

“I didn’t even have to ask them,” Lindberg said. “They had their shoes off by the time I came back to 18.”

Teel can be reached by phone at 757-247-4636 or by email at dteel@dailypress.com. For more from Teel, read his blog at dailypress.com/teeltime and follow him at twitter.com/DavidTeelatDP.